- Joined
- Apr 28, 2018
- Messages
- 48
- Purraise
- 44
My cat is Tabitha. She is small, mahogany, no tail :-) I first saw her in 2007. It began with feeding her at the end of my driveway . I could only watch her from inside the house, could get nowhere near her .There was a young tiger stripe who showed up for a while, and they seemed to be buddies .Over the years (many years) she became comfortable near me and another person who also fed her on the next block .She became less feral, eventually eating all her meals on my porch, and sleeping in her heated hut in winter, on porch chairs in summer . In 2010 another young cat started to hang out with her, and 2011 another one . They (boys) became friendly and handelable and they were her buddies and protectors .I always knew when room (unfortunately) opened up in my house I would bring them in. In the winter of 2016 the boys came in 5 months apart. But I would let her best bud out every day for a while so she wouldn't be so lonely. She still remained extremely skittish and wary of any sudden movements or strangers .
Maybe I am dragging this narrative out too long... Cut to this winter - she would meow every day at the door to see the boys, and would purr loudly, kneed, drool and rub her face on the door when I held it open .I still could not touch her, but she purred and meowed at me and would occasionally touch her nose to my hand.
Feb. 23 was the day I held a cover over the opening of her condo and brought it inside to the room I had set up for her . Initially it went much better than I expected. She continued to meow, purr, kneed and be super excited when she saw the boys at her room .She started slowly wandering around upstairs as we gave her more freedom from her room, and even started to come down the steps in the later evening when we watched tv, always announcing herself with meows. Then on day 21 everything changed .I was out, bf was home, Tabitha was in the basement (how or why ??) when I got home and eventually got back up to her room, and has not been the same since .She rarely purrs (last time I heard was 4/23) I had been sitting in her room every day talking to her, reading, hanging with the boys and her. She stopped seeming to care. This week she is even more withdrawn - tomorrow is 10 weeks .She lays in her bed or behind the chair in her room. When I go in she either totally ignores me and the boys, or gets up and goes behind the chair. I don't even see her wash anymore .She has not been very interested in toys .Initially I thought she was starting to play a little with feather toy, cat dancer etc., now they just piss her off. Only 2 good things, she goes downstairs every nite where the boys are after we go to bed and sleeps in different places, and she is eating great .
Can anyone offer any thoughts? I am completely heartsick .
Maybe I am dragging this narrative out too long... Cut to this winter - she would meow every day at the door to see the boys, and would purr loudly, kneed, drool and rub her face on the door when I held it open .I still could not touch her, but she purred and meowed at me and would occasionally touch her nose to my hand.
Feb. 23 was the day I held a cover over the opening of her condo and brought it inside to the room I had set up for her . Initially it went much better than I expected. She continued to meow, purr, kneed and be super excited when she saw the boys at her room .She started slowly wandering around upstairs as we gave her more freedom from her room, and even started to come down the steps in the later evening when we watched tv, always announcing herself with meows. Then on day 21 everything changed .I was out, bf was home, Tabitha was in the basement (how or why ??) when I got home and eventually got back up to her room, and has not been the same since .She rarely purrs (last time I heard was 4/23) I had been sitting in her room every day talking to her, reading, hanging with the boys and her. She stopped seeming to care. This week she is even more withdrawn - tomorrow is 10 weeks .She lays in her bed or behind the chair in her room. When I go in she either totally ignores me and the boys, or gets up and goes behind the chair. I don't even see her wash anymore .She has not been very interested in toys .Initially I thought she was starting to play a little with feather toy, cat dancer etc., now they just piss her off. Only 2 good things, she goes downstairs every nite where the boys are after we go to bed and sleeps in different places, and she is eating great .
Can anyone offer any thoughts? I am completely heartsick .